


Whatever the Weather

by TheOriginalRhi



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Legends: Jedi Apprentice Series - Jude Watson & Dave Wolverton
Genre: Gen, Hurt Obi-Wan Kenobi, Hurt/Comfort, Obi-Wan Kenobi Needs a Hug, Padawan Obi-Wan Kenobi, Protective Qui-Gon Jinn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-27
Updated: 2020-04-26
Packaged: 2021-02-28 22:34:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 15,478
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23341039
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheOriginalRhi/pseuds/TheOriginalRhi
Summary: Pre-TPM/JA era. Whatever the weather, we will make it through together. A series of oneshots based around Obi-Wan, Qui-Gon and the forces of nature. Mainly just an excuse to write shameless hurt/comfort and bonding. Will be added to as inspiration strikes.
Relationships: Obi-Wan Kenobi & Siri Tachi, Qui-Gon Jinn & Obi-Wan Kenobi
Comments: 15
Kudos: 105





	1. Rain

**Whatever the Weather**

Whatever the weather, we will make it through together. A series of oneshots based around the forces of nature, Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon.

-X-X-X-X-

**Rain**

“Obi-Wan.”

The far away voice echoed in his mind.

“Padawan.”

This time it sounded closer. More insistent.

“Wake up, Padawan.”

An order this time. With a sharp note of concern and urgency.

Obi-Wan dragged himself out of his deep sleep and instantly regretted it. His body ached all over and his head throbbed. But an order was an order and he forced open glassy eyes to the worried looking face of his master.

Memory came flooding back.

Their mission had gone horribly wrong and Obi-Wan had been captured and held captive for the past week. He had initially attempted to escape a number of times, however each attempt had been foiled and he had received a thorough beating in punishment. After a few days, he grew too weak to fight back and had been forced to abandon his efforts to escape and began instead to attempt to heal himself. However, in his weakened state, the limited techniques he had learned so far in his short apprenticeship had not been successful and he was slowly succumbing to his injuries and subsequent infection.

“Mahster.” Obi-Wan said, slurring slightly as he slowly awakened.

“Come, Padawan. Quickly.” Qui-Gon urged, pressing Obi-Wan’s lightsaber into his hand and hauling the boy to his feet.

Obi-Wan’s head spun and he staggered slightly, knees nearly collapsing underneath him.

“Easy.” Qui-Gon murmured, steadying his apprentice by wrapping an arm around him and firmly holding him to his side. He sent a wave of energy and a pulse of comfort through his bond to Obi-Wan. “Come now, let’s get you out of here.”

Obi-Wan staggered down the dimly lit hallway next to Qui-Gon, focusing on putting one foot in front of the other, leaning heavily on the taller man. He still clutched his lightsaber in his hand, although he acknowledged that he would be fairly useless with the weapon in his current state. Nevertheless, he drew on the comfort and familiarity that it provided.

Qui-Gon paused at an intersection, listening and reaching out with the Force to see what lay ahead. “Stay here.” He said, manoeuvring Obi-Wan towards the wall so that he could lean up against it.

Obi-Wan leaned against the cold and slightly damp wall, resting his feverish forehead against the cool stone. He heard the snap of Qui-Gon’s lightsaber activating echoing back to him and a moment later, the unmistakable sound of blaster bolts being fired, followed by the deflection of these bolts by a lightsaber.

After a few long minutes of this skirmish, he heard a single set of feet running, closing in on him. He pushed himself away from the wall, thumb hovering over the activation switch of his lightsaber, prepared to fight if he needed to, then exhaled with relief when it was Qui-Gon that rounded the corner.

“Come, Padawan.” Qui-Gon said, once again wrapping his arm around the boy.

They continued their journey through the maze-like passageways, Obi-Wan detachedly noticing the bodies strewn across the hallway as they passed by, feeling the lingering determination laced with a hint of desperation in the Force as Qui-Gon hurried him along just a little faster past this point.

They eventually burst out of the compound into a small clearing surrounded by the dense jungle and immediately heard the shouts of discovery.

“You’re going to have to run now, Obi-Wan.” Qui-Gon said urgently, sending another wave of energy towards the padawan.

Obi-Wan nodded and called on the Force, willing his legs to move faster, trying to keep up with his master's long-legged stride. They ran across the clearing and into the jungle, dense foliage whipping at their sides as they forged a trail through the undergrowth. Obi-Wan stumbled multiple times on the uneven ground but each time was hauled back to his feet by the steadying arm of his master.

“Get ready to jump.” Qui-Gon instructed.

Obi-Wan gathered as much of the Force as he could, taking in his surroundings. He could feel Qui-Gon doing the same. He felt a flash of fear but quickly dispelled it. He would trust his master and he would trust the Force.

“Now.”

Qui-Gon propelled himself off the edge of the cliff, followed a split second later by Obi-Wan, free falling towards the river far below. Obi-Wan felt Qui-Gon reach out and grasp his wrist, pulling him close.

Qui-Gon gathered up the Force around the two Jedi, letting it guide their fall and hopefully avoiding further injury.

They plunged into the water together, but the force of the impact drove them apart. Obi-Wan floated deep in the water, looking up at the surface far above him. The river was deep and he felt the current tugging ruthlessly at his body. He began to kick, aiming towards the surface, but he was merely staying still, flailing uselessly against the current. He began to doubt himself. He knew he could hold his breath for a long time, but he did not know how long that would be currently in his weakened state. And he did not have the strength to kick against the current.

Suddenly, a rebreather was pushed into his mouth and Qui-Gon appeared in front of him, his long hair and Jedi robes billowing around him. Qui-Gon grasped Obi-Wan under his arms and kicked strongly, propelling the two Jedi to the surface.

They broke the surface and Qui-Gon treaded water, supporting Obi-Wan in a floating position so the boy could conserve his energy. The current was strong at the surface and it began sweeping them down the river. The river soon became more shallow and rougher. Qui-Gon gave up treading water and focused on attempting to manoeuvre them around the rocks and debris, but regardless they were battered thoroughly as they bounced from one rock to the next, struggling to keep their heads above water as the current steadily increased in speed, which could only mean one thing.

“Prepare for a waterfall!” Qui-Gon shouted to Obi-Wan, gripping the boy tightly with both arms.

Obi-Wan wrapped his arms around Qui-Gon in turn, holding on as tightly as he could manage as they plunged over the side of the waterfall.

Everything went black.

-X-X-X-X-

When Obi-Wan came to, the world was upside down and bouncing around in an odd manner. It took a long few seconds to realise that he had been thrown over someone’s shoulder and was being carried in a rather undignified manner. It took another long few seconds to recognise the boots of his current mode of transportation.

“Master, you can put me down now.” He rasped.

Obi-Wan felt himself slide over Qui-Gon’s shoulder and he was deposited gently on the ground in front of the tall Jedi, who kept a steadying hand on his slightly swaying apprentice's shoulder, keen blue eyes and a wave of the Force analysing the current state of his health.

“Master, it’s raining.” Obi-Wan frowned, belatedly realising that they were now caught in a tropical downpour. “This planet is very wet.”

Qui-Gon chuckled despite himself and the concern he had for his padawan. “You don’t say.” He said, turning Obi-Wan around and placing a supportive arm around the boy’s shoulders again. “Come, let’s find someplace dry.”

They continued to walk through the jungle, soaked to the bone by the torrential rain. It wasn’t cold, but Obi-Wan soon started to shiver, the injuries and subsequent infection taking its toll on his body. His steps slowed, and he became clumsier, stumbling and falling more often as he didn’t have any energy left to pick his feet up far enough off the ground to clear the uneven terrain. He didn’t complain - it was not the Jedi way - but he knew he could not go much further.

“We will shelter here.” Qui-Gon said, pointing to a place up ahead. He had noticed Obi-Wan struggling more and more and knew he needed to rest soon to recover his strength.

The tree was extremely large and tall, it’s branches thick and leaves wide and dense, naturally creating a sheltered zone around the trunk where the branches and leaves had the most solid cover. The lowest branches were high enough that Qui-Gon could stand underneath them without even having to duck his head forwards.

Qui-Gon helped Obi-Wan to the shelter of the tree and assisted him to slip off his cloak and tunic, wringing the excess water out of each item of clothing and hanging them over one of the large branches, following suit with his own garments. Obi-Wan, clad only in his pants and boots, wrapped his arms around his bare upper body and shivered, trying to keep himself warm.

“Sit down, Padawan.” Qui-Gon said, guiding Obi-Wan to sit leaning against the wide tree trunk. “I’m going to make a fire.”

Obi-Wan pulled his knees in towards his chest and wrapped his arms around his legs, making himself seem even smaller and younger than his fourteen years. His head throbbed and he was definitely still feverish. He could see a number of dark purple bruises blossoming over his arms and torso - some from their wild river ride, but most were courtesy of his captors. He knew his back would look a sight. One of the captors was rather proficient with a whip. Judging by the pain and his systemic symptoms, he gathered that the wounds were infected.

Qui-Gon returned after a few minutes with an armload of kindling, which he quickly set alight with his lightsaber, making a small fire. Hopefully enough to warm them up but not enough to damage the tree which was currently their only shelter from the weather.

“How are you feeling, Padawan.” Qui-Gon asked gently, sitting down next to his apprentice, noticing the bruising and wounds on his back properly for the first time. His stomach clenched with guilt and helplessness as he realised the full extent of what the boy had endured over the past week.

“I’ve been better.” Obi-Wan said, lifting tired eyes up to look at his master. Moving his head hurt too much.

“I’m so sorry, Padawan.” Qui-Gon whispered, not trusting his voice.

“It’s not your fault.” Obi-Wan returned, wincing as he adjusted his position.

“Maybe not, but I’m still sorry for what you are enduring.” Qui-Gon said. “And I am sorry for not being able to find you quicker.”

“You’re here now.” Obi-Wan said slowly, words slurring slightly. “I’m so tired.”

“Sleep, Padawan mine.” Qui-Gon said, infusing their bond with a sleep suggestion. “You deserve a rest.”

Obi-Wan’s head drooped as he quickly succumbed to sleep, then slumped to the side, leaning on Qui-Gon’s shoulder. The tall Jedi carefully adjusted his position and wrapped his arm around his apprentice so that the boy's head rested on his chest.

He leaned back against the broad tree trunk and released a long breath, trying to find his centre. He slipped into a light meditation, sending waves of healing towards his padawan. He knew the boy needed a healer’s attention, however he would still do all he could to ease his pain. He just hoped that it wasn’t too little too late.

-X-X-X-X-

Qui-Gon was roused from his light meditation a few hours later by a low groan and his padawan shifting restlessly. The sky was pitch black now and he could still hear the rain falling outside their makeshift shelter. The only light was that of the small fire which was still burning. He pressed the back of his hand to Obi-Wan’s forehead and was shocked by the intensity of the heat radiating from his skin.

“Padawan.” Qui-Gon said, gently shaking the boy to try and rouse him.

Blue eyes struggled open, glassy with pain and sickness.

“Your fever is getting worse. I need to find some water for you.”

Small hands suddenly gripped at the older Jedi’s arm. “Don’t leave me.” Obi-Wan pleaded.

Qui-Gon’s stomach clenched at the words, realising how awful his fiercely self-reliant apprentice must be feeling in order to beg for him to stay.

“I must find you some water, Obi-Wan.” Qui-Gon said gently. “You are so very unwell.”

Obi-Wan nodded slowly and released his grip on Qui-Gon’s arm, moving away from the Jedi master and curling in on himself, hugging his legs into his chest and resting his aching head on his knees.

“I won’t be long, Padawan.” Qui-Gon assured him, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder for a moment before standing and walking off in search of water.

Obi-Wan watched the tall figure of his master disappear into the rain, feeling useless and needy and so frustrated with himself. He felt a tear trail down his cheek but could not find the energy to lift his arm to wipe it away.

After what felt like a very long time, Qui-Gon returned carrying the large husk of some kind of fruit. He was soaking wet again after having been out in the rain and his hair dripped on Obi-Wan as he knelt down in front of him.

“Drink.” Qui-Gon instructed, lifting the makeshift bowl to Obi-Wan’s mouth.

Obi-Wan drank small sips carefully, not wanting to irritate his stomach and add another symptom to his collection. “Thank you.” He said, voice not much more than a whisper.

Qui-Gon placed the husk bowl on the ground next to Obi-Wan and reached over to where his cloak was hanging to dry and ripped off a strip of fabric from the bottom of it. He dipped it in the cool water and pressed it to Obi-Wan’s forehead and neck, attempting to cool him down.

“Try to be strong, my Padawan.” Qui-Gon murmured, placing his hand on Obi-Wan’s hot forehead and sending healing energy.

“There is no try.” Obi-Wan replied weakly, his lips quirked up in a half smile.

Qui-Gon smiled back. “Come now, you should rest some more. Before I found you, I contacted the council to arrange extraction and activated our locator beacon. They should be here tomorrow. You will need your strength.”

He shifted so he was back sitting next to Obi-Wan and lifted his arm, inviting the boy to lean on him again, stifling an amused smile when Obi-Wan nestled into his side as closely as he could. He brushed a hand affectionately through Obi-Wan’s short padawan haircut as the boy quickly succumbed to another sleep suggestion.

-X-X-X-X-

The night passed slowly and Qui-Gon alternated between applying cool water to a fevered forehead and attempting to stave off body wracking shivers by embracing Obi-Wan as tightly as he dared, ever aware of the horrendous looking infected wounds on his back.

The first sign of the new day was an ever so subtle lightening of the pitch black that had surrounded them for the last ten hours. The sun gradually chased away all the shadows and Qui-Gon felt Obi-Wan stirring in his arms, slowly working his way out from the deep sleep he was in.

“Good morning, Padawan.” Qui-Gon said softly, once Obi-Wan had woken sufficiently. “How are you feeling?”

Obi-Wan pushed himself up into a sitting position with some difficulty, wincing as the wounds on his back protested the movement. “A little better.” He replied. “I am sorry for keeping you up all night.”

“There is nothing to be sorry for.” Qui-Gon replied gently. “However, now that you have awakened, we should prepare to leave. We have about an hour’s walk to get to the extraction point. And you will be pleased to know that the rain has stopped.”

“Good. Perhaps next time we should request a planet with a drier climate.”

“We will go where the Force leads us.” Qui-Gon replied lightly, helping Obi-Wan to his feet and holding him steady for a moment, making sure he wasn’t going to collapse. “Although I wouldn’t be opposed to a more temperate climate.”

They donned their tunics and cloaks, which had mostly dried out by now and smothered what was left of the small fire before leaving their shelter.

Now that they weren’t in as much of a hurry, Qui-Gon adopted a slower pace and led the way, forging a path through the thick jungle, Obi-Wan following in his wake. Obi-Wan noticed that he had a bit more energy this morning and he felt less fatigued after Qui-Gon’s Force healing techniques and some sleep, but he was still injured and still feverish and soon the energy was exhausted and he began slowing his pace.

Qui-Gon noticed quickly that his Padawan's presence was no longer behind him and stopped to allow the younger Jedi to catch up. He wrapped his arm around the boy’s shoulder as he had done the previous day. “Come, Padawan, there is not much further to go.”

“Yes, master.” Obi-Wan said, concentrating on keeping his legs moving.

After a while, the trees began thinning and thick jungle gradually became wide open grasslands.

“We are nearly there, Padawan.” Qui-Gon encouraged, gently squeezing the arm wrapped around Obi-Wan’s shoulder. “I can see our transport approaching ahead.”

Unwilling to expend energy forming words, especially seeing as he was now fighting against black spots dancing at the edges of his vision, Obi-Wan answered with a “Mm-hm”, hoping that his master wouldn’t think it rude of him. He looked at where Qui-Gon was pointing and saw a spaceship with Jedi insignia descending through the sky. Bolstered by the sight of their salvation, he managed to draw on the last reserves of his strength and forced his legs to move faster as the ship landed not too far in front of them.

They were nearly upon the ship by the time it had decompressed. The ramp began opening and as it touched down to the ground, two very familiar people rushed down the ramp towards them - Master Tahl and her Padawan Bant Eerin.

Obi-Wan felt relief flooding through him, and could feel Qui-Gon’s relief flood over their bond. Not only were they getting off the planet, but they were in excellent hands.

Everything was going to be okay.


	2. Snow

**Whatever the Weather**

I know in the description that I said these oneshots would be Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon centric, however Siri was begging to be written about, so here she is. Enjoy.

-X-X-X-X-

**Snow**

"Kriff it Kenobi, just shoot down the damn karki will you!" Siri Tachi shouted at her companion seated next to her as she wrestled the small fighter into a series of twisting manoeuvres.

"It would be a lot easier if you weren't flying like such a maniac." Obi-Wan shot back through gritted teeth as he gripped onto the targeting joystick for the weapons system.

Siri was an excellent pilot and handled the small craft well, but she had a fondness for dramatic evasive manoeuvres. Especially those of which Obi-Wan was not so fond of.

Siri dived into a barrel roll then suddenly pulled up, performing a tight manoeuvre which efficiently brought her around behind one of their pursuers.

"Now!" She shouted at the same time as Obi-Wan fired on the enemy craft. The fighter exploded into flames and Siri pulled up and away quickly to avoid the debris. They both felt the pang of sadness in the Force as a life was extinguished, however now was not the time to be thinking about that. They would have to address it later.

"I see two more." Obi-Wan stated. "What's your count?"

"Two also." Siri replied as she darted from side to side, avoiding enemy fire.

"Let's get on with it then." Obi-Wan said, letting out a centering breath.

"As you wish." Siri replied, lips quirking up into a smile as she suddenly dropped the fighter down, hugging the snow covered mountainside as closely as she could.

The other two fighters followed, dropping down into the mountains as well, following a little further behind as they were unable to keep up with Siri's Force-enhanced reflexes. It didn't discourage them from utilising their weapons systems however, as the thick blaster bolts exploded into the mountainside around them, sending chunks of rock and ice into the air, battering the young Jedi's craft as they flew through it.

Siri increased her speed, pulling further away from their pursuers. She performed a tight few manoeuvres around the natural twists and turns in the mountain ranges, causing one of their pursuers to lose control of their fighter and crash into the side of the mountain.

"One left."

"On it." Siri said, jaw set in determination. She orientated the craft sideways to fit through a narrow gap, just as their pursuer fired at them. With no way to avoid the bolt, it hit them square in one of the engines and they burst out of the other end of the narrow passageway, engine aflame with smoke streaming out behind them.

Siri muttered a long string of curses in a variety of different languages as she wrestled with the fighter, trying to bring it under control.

Obi-Wan noticed that the enemy craft had backed off now, probably assuming that they were no longer a threat. He lined up the blasters and fired at the enemy, hitting the fighter square on and causing it to explode in mid air. Enemy eliminated, he turned his attention to the more pressing matter of their rapid, barely controlled descent towards the ground.

Their small fighter was struggling but Siri was not giving up. She had one hand on the controls and her other hand was flicking over the dashboard, flipping switches, pressing buttons, trying everything she had ever learned that might be helpful in a crash situation.

"I can't save it!" Siri shouted to Obi-Wan. "Prepare for a crash landing."

Obi-Wan gripped his crash harness and Siri kept her hands on the controls, both Padawans gripping so tightly that their knuckles were white. The ground approached quickly and Siri managed to orientate the craft so that they hit the mountain on an angle. They slid wildly out of control down the slope of the mountain, sending snow flying behind them as they ploughed a deep crevice in their wake.

Siri attempted to control the craft, but the engines had been destroyed on impact and there was no way to control direction when not in flight. The craft continued to slide unchecked down the mountain, bouncing and jolting as they collided with rocks and trees, both of which became more frequent as they slid further down the mountain. Suddenly a large outcropping of rock loomed up in front of them and they were headed straight for it.

Without a word, the two padawans reached out to the Force, simultaneously bringing it to bear on the out of control fighter, desperately trying to alter its course. With a shudder, the craft began to slightly change direction, but given that they were still developing their Force manipulation skills, it wasn't quite enough and it glanced off the side of the rock, sending it flipping though their air and landing upside down.

They continued to slide upside down, but the mountainside was getting less steep now and they slowly came to a stop in a large mountain meadow.

There was dead silence.

"Fierfek." Siri groaned after a long few seconds.

"You can say that again." Obi-Wan groaned back as he undid his crash harness and fell from his seat. He rubbed his head as he stood up, crouched over in the cramped space.

Siri followed suit, releasing her harness and falling next to Obi-Wan with a pained grunt.

"Are you hurt?" Obi-Wan asked, bending over towards the blonde Padawan, offering his hand to help her up.

Siri pointedly ignored his hand and rose to her feet by herself, although she lacked her usual effortless grace.

Obi-Wan bit his tongue, deciding not to comment, and detached his lightsaber from his belt. He activated it and began cutting away at the joins in windscreen panels of the fighter. It didn't take much to loosen the panel and he kicked at it with his boot, sending it tumbling into the snow covered meadow beyond.

He jumped out of the newly established emergency exit and watched as Siri followed him, noting the fleeting pained expression on her face as she jumped to the ground.

"You're injured." Obi-Wan stated.

Siri glared at him. "I'm fine." She changed the subject. "We should try and contact our masters."

Obi-Wan nodded in agreement and reached for his comlink, activating the link through to Qui-Gon. He waited for a minute before getting a response, although the link was so tenuous he could barely make out what his master was saying.

"...bi-Wan? Where...ou?"

"Master, Siri and I were attacked by enemy fighters. We crashed in the mountains."

"Are...njured?"

Obi-Wan flicked his eyes over to Siri, who gave him a hard look.

"Just a few bruises."

"Activ...locator beac...we will...you."

"Yes, master."

Obi-Wan ended the link and activated his locator beacon before replacing the comlink in his utility belt.

"We should get moving." Siri said.

Obi-Wan pointed up at the dark clouds rolling in across the sky. "I don't think that is a good idea." He replied.

Siri contemplated the clouds with a withering glare. "You're probably right." She conceded begrudgingly. "I'm going to have a look around." She added, stalking off towards a small group of snow-covered trees at the other end of the meadow.

Obi-Wan climbed back into the craft and pulled open the few storage lockers, looking for anything which could assist them in their current situation. Most were empty, but a large sheet of canvas fell out of one and another produced a very basic medic pack.

Obi-Wan then pried off one of the dash covers and reached in to grasp a handful of the many wires connecting the various electronic systems together. He pulled sharply on the wires, loosening a few lengths and tossed them and the canvas sheet out of the fighter and went to work stringing it up to cover the exit hole he had created earlier. Judging by the darkening sky and the approaching stormclouds, he figured that it was entirely likely that their masters would not be able to get there until the next morning and he wanted to make their only shelter as weatherproof as possible.

Siri returned as he was tying off the ends of the wire. He had secured the top and sides as best as he could, leaving a small flap at the bottom which they could crawl through.

"Did you see anything?" Obi-Wan asked.

Siri shook her head. "Nothing but snow, snow and more snow."

As if summoned by Siri's words, snowflakes suddenly began drifting down from the sky, gently settling on the heads and shoulders of the two young padawans. It was a short lived magical moment, however, as the wind abruptly picked up, swirling the snow around them as it began to fall more heavily.

"We should take shelter." Obi-Wan said, motioning for Siri to head into the downed fighter.

"No need for chivalry." Siri said, standing her ground. "You go first."

Obi-Wan bit his tongue and settled for a shrug before turning and crawling under the canvas into the craft. He would never understand why Siri had to fight against everything he suggested.

Siri crawled in after him, although she appeared to do this with some difficulty and was avoiding putting weight on one of her arms.

"You've hurt your arm." Obi-Wan said.

"It's fine."

"You should let me look at it."

"It's fine, Kenobi."

"Stop acting like a stubborn bantha." Obi-Wan growled in frustration.

"Yeah because calling me names is really going to get us anywhere" Siri snapped back.

Obi-Wan let out a centering breath. She had a point. Despite being so infuriatingly stubborn.

"I'm sorry." He said genuinely. "Please let me take a look at your arm. I found a medic pack before, maybe we can use something in there to help."

Siri eyed him up for a moment then sighed and reluctantly extended her left arm towards him. "I hit it on the dash when we hit that rock. I think it might be broken." She explained.

Obi-Wan inspected her forearm. He was no healer but all Padawans were required to complete basic anatomy, physiology and healing classes considering that their risk of injury was abnormally high due to their line of work.

Siri's arm had swollen up considerably just above the wrist. Obi-Wan gently placed his hands on her smooth skin and reached out with the Force, which confirmed Siri's initial diagnosis. "I think you're right." He said. "It feels like you've fractured your ulna."

Siri nodded and sighed, not surprised by this revelation but still thoroughly annoyed with the situation.

Obi-Wan grabbed the medic pack and rummaged through it. There wasn't a lot in it but he was able to produce a long bandage.

"I'll find something to splint your arm with and we can wrap this bandage around it to keep it still." Obi-Wan said, searching around the small craft for something of appropriate size and shape but he found nothing. "I'll have to go out, I'm sure I can find some sticks or small branches that can do the job."

Siri nodded and looked him in the eye, her blue eyes conveying the words of gratitude that she was reluctant to speak.

Obi-Wan climbed out of the craft again. The snow and wind had picked up more but it wasn't too bad yet. He could still see the crop of trees across the meadow. He trudged through the snow as quickly as he could, which was somewhat difficult when he was spending as much energy preventing himself from sinking too far into the snow as he was in moving himself forward.

Eventually he made it over to the trees and he used his lightsaber to slice off a couple of branches of appropriate thickness and cut them to the right length. He collected up the sticks and tucked them into his cloak then turned and trudged back across the snow, following in his previously made trail, which was very quickly filling up with fresh snow.

By the time he got back, the snowstorm had taken it up a notch further and it was getting so thick he could barely see the fighter anymore. He brushed off as much snow from his clothing as possible and crawled back inside.

Obi-Wan thought he saw a flicker of relief in Siri's eyes but it was gone as quickly as it came so he assumed that he had imagined it. He pulled the sticks out from where he had stashed them inside his cloak and scooted himself over next to Siri. He carefully arranged the five sticks around the underneath of Siri's arm and wrapped the bandage securely around the sticks and her forearm. He then rested his hands over the top of her forearm and called on the Force, applying a basic pain relieving technique to the area. He wasn't anywhere near skilled enough to mend bones, but he could at least help reduce the pain.

"Thank you, Obi-Wan." Siri said softly as he pulled his hands away.

"You're welcome." Obi-Wan replied.

There was silence as Siri pulled up her hood and leant back against the back wall of the craft and closed her eyes. Obi-Wan felt the Force begin to swirl around her as she entered a light healing trance.

He moved carefully and sat away from her, not wanting to disturb her meditation, however he was hunched forward uncomfortably. There weren't many places to sit considering that the craft was upside down. There were two proper seats side by side, which were of course currently orientated on the ceiling, and they were sitting on the clear transparisteel windshield which was rounded into a dome shape.

Obi-Wan lay back against the curved dome which provided him with a slightly more comfortable position. Well except for the cold air coming in from the bottom of the canvas flap. And the coldness coming through the uninsulated transparisteel. But not much could be done about that so he pushed his discomfort aside and watched as the sky completely darkened outside, making it so dark he couldn't even see his hand in front of his face. There wasn't anything else to do now, so he wrapped his cloak tightly around himself and decided to sleep. He was just on the verge of falling asleep when he heard a sharp intake of breath from across the small space, pulling him back to alertness.

"Obi-Wan?" A soft voice carried over to him.

"I'm here."

Silence.

"Are you ok?"

"Yeah." Siri replied. "I'm just sore...and cold."

"I think I saw a thermal blanket in the medic pack." Obi-Wan said as he sat forward and reached for the medic kit, using a combination of memory and Force guidance to extract the small package. He opened it, unfolding the small single person blanket and handed it to Siri. There was a rustling as she wrapped the blanket around herself.

"Thanks."

Silence again.

"I'm sorry." Siri said quietly.

"What are you sorry for?" Obi-Wan asked, confused.

"I got us into this mess. I should have taken the other route."

"You couldn't have known that."

"I should have listened more carefully to the Force." Siri said. "Master Adi is always telling me that. They trusted us to complete our mission and I screwed it up."

"We are not saints but seekers." Obi-Wan quoted a Jedi proverb.

"Sometimes I feel like I do a lot more seeking than everyone else." Siri said with a note of frustration in her voice.

"I think it's normal to feel that way. Our path is not an easy one. Even with the Force guiding us, it is often still hard to know the right thing to do."

"When did you get so smart?" Siri said, half joking.

"Master Qui-Gon has had to tell me this many times, so I'm afraid I can't claim credit for that one." Obi-Wan replied with a short wry laugh.

"I never figured you for self doubting." Siri commented. "You always seem so sure and steady."

Obi-Wan did a very un-Jedi-like snort of laughter. "You don't know me very well."

"I guess we just learned something new about each other then."

"Not much else to do when stranded in the snow in pitch black darkness."

Silence again. A short one this time, followed by rustling and shuffling and a small grunt of pain and Obi-Wan felt Siri's smaller form lay down next to him.

He stiffened, not used to having people - especially of the feminine variety - this close to him. "What are you doing?" He whispered.

"Sharing body heat and the blanket. I would rather you didn't get hypothermia. And don't pull that chivalry thing or else I'll call you a stubborn bantha."

"Ok I'll share my body heat with you." Obi-Wan grinned, earning a thump on his arm in response. "We should at least get more comfortable."

Obi-Wan shifted his arm, giving Siri a spot for her head to rest. She nestled in closer to his side and Obi-Wan pulled the thermal blanket over both of them. It was too small for two people but he aligned it as best as he could to cover as much of their torsos as possible, ensuring that their vital organs were kept as warm and protected as possible.

Siri seemed to drift off to sleep quite quickly after this, her breathing becoming deeper and slower. Obi-Wan closed his eyes and tried to sleep but found that sleep was being frustratingly elusive. His thoughts turned to the girl next to him. He had always found her infuriating and self righteous, but as he had just discovered, underneath her tough exterior, she harboured the same doubts as he did. Maybe the same doubts as every Padawan did but nobody actually talked about.

Obi-Wan reached over and gently brushed away a few strands of Siri's hair that were tickling his cheek and she snuggled in a little closer to his side, letting out a soft sigh as she did so. Obi-Wan listened to the wind whistling outside and felt the cold air biting his cheeks and toes but he was surprisingly contented. Contented enough to drift off to sleep.

And sleep they did, deeply and soundly all through the night until morning when they were awoken suddenly.

"Ahem." A deep voice laced with amusement.

Obi-Wan's eyes startled open and he sat up quickly, whacking his head on the dash as he did so. He lay back and and frowned, rubbing his forehead, turning to see the familiar face of his master poking through underneath the canvas flap, his blue eyes twinkling with mirth. On his other side, Siri had propped herself up on one elbow and was rubbing at her eye with her other hand.

"Master." Obi-Wan said, mind scrambling to brush away the remnants of sleep. "You're here early."

"It's actually not too early, Padawan mine, it merely seems that you have been enjoying a companionable sleep-in in my absence."

"We, uh, we were just avoiding hypothermia." Obi-Wan said quickly, cheeks reddening slightly. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Siri react in a similar manner before she quickly looked away, busying herself with folding up the thermal blanket.

"A wise decision. I am glad to see you have not turned into an icicle overnight." Qui-Gon replied, seeming to be enjoying teasing his Padawan a little too much. He shepherded the two Padawans out of the shelter and across the field towards their transport. "Come along now, Master Gallia is waiting in the transport with hot tea and blankets and she and I would both be very interested in hearing how the two of you ended up in this chilly predicament."

Obi-Wan grimaced and shot a sideways glance at Siri, who briefly wore a similar expression. But strangely enough, he didn't regret the outcome of their actions. Not one bit.


	3. Earthquake

**Whatever the Weather**

I would like to say a big thank you to those who have left me feedback or kudos! I always write and post regardless but it’s always nice to know that people are enjoying my writing!

-X-X-X-X-

**Earthquake**

Obi-Wan paced between the trees. The birds were singing and the breeze was rustling through the leaves. The temperature was just perfect. At any other time, he would've found this place relaxing, nature being something he had come to appreciate in much depth after spending so much time with Qui-Gon and his deep connection with the Living Force. But he had a _really_ bad feeling. The Force prickled at the base of his skull and down his spine telling him that _something_ was not right. He felt every muscle tense for action and adrenaline began coursing through his veins, trickling past the gates that were barely holding back the imminent flood.

He stopped and again looked towards the entrance of the cave, the gaping hole quickly disappearing into darkness. How he wished he was in there with his Master. His place was by his Master's side, but he was forced to be left behind by a ridiculous local rule. He wasn't yet eighteen standard years old, therefore not considered an adult, therefore he was forbidden to enter the sacred cave. But it wasn't just a mere cave. Qui-Gon had told him - moments before entering - that there was some kind of crystal inside the cave that had Force-dampening effects, meaning that he was unlikely to be able to sense his master while he was inside the cave. So it really wasn't just a cave, it was the equivalent to a Force black hole.

He turned away from the cave and resumed his pacing. Across the clearing, he could see the huts of the Rya'li tribe, the self-proclaimed guardians of the sacred caves. A few of the orange-skinned, white-haired tribespeople watched him warily, but he couldn't bring himself to care. It was not acceptable behaviour for a Jedi, and he knew he would be reprimanded by his Master for it, however that would mean that his Master had returned safely, so he would gladly accept the reprimand and any punishment that Qui-Gon deemed necessary.

Obi-Wan let out a long breath and settled down underneath a leafy tree in a meditation pose and closed his eyes to draw on the Force, trying to regain some semblance of balance. He felt the Force swirl around him, elusively skirting around just beyond his grasp. Obi-Wan felt the Force prickle down his spine again and pull him back to alertness. He remained in the meditation position but scanned the area with perceptive eyes, assessing for danger. There was no danger that he could see, yet the Force was insistent. He got to his feet, his hand drifting towards the hilt of his lightsaber hanging at his right hip.

Suddenly, the birds simultaneously flew out of the trees as if they had been frightened by a predator. Obi-Wan cast out with his senses in search of any hunting animals, but again he found nothing. Thoroughly confused, but still on high alert, Obi-Wan checked over towards the cave opening again.

Then nature let loose.

The ground began to violently shake, so much so that Obi-Wan struggled to stand. He crouched in place, watching in horror as the cave opening collapsed and boulders fell from the cliff above, completely blocking the entrance.

He heard screams coming from the direction of the small village and saw a large crack opening up in the ground where the tribespeople has been gathered just mere minutes ago. The huts were collapsing and he saw people falling into the crevice.

The Force swirled urgently around him and the floodgates opened, sending waves of adrenaline coursing through his body. Tense muscles sprung him forwards out of his frozen state and he sprinted across the rolling ground towards the tribespeople. There was no time for thought, only time for action, blindly following the clear prompting of the Force.

Obi-Wan reached the edge of the crevice and used the Force to pull a young child teetering on the edge towards him, safely gathering the toddler up in his arms.

"Ama!" The child cried, stretching pudgy orange arms towards the hole.

"I'll find your Ama." Obi-Wan said, thrusting the child into the arms of a nearby adult. "Take her to safety." He instructed, motioning towards a clearing, not waiting to see if the man understood before he turned back, following the pull of the Force.

The ground continued shaking, but it was slowly subsiding. Obi-Wan peered over the edge of the crevice and saw a number of the tribespeople trapped down below, as well as half of the village huts.

The Force pulled his attention back towards the cliffs. A group of three women were standing way too close. They were clinging to each other, frightened.

"Move away!" He shouted, but he didn't know if they heard or if they even understood. Many of the tribespeople didn't understand Basic.

He ran toward them, motioning for them to come towards him and away from the cliff. They started to move, but it wasn't quite fast enough. A large boulder dislodged from higher up the cliff and began falling directly for the group.

"Run!" He shouted.

The women began running. The two younger women were fast enough to be able to make it clear, but the third, an older woman, tripped and fell.

Obi-Wan tried to bring the Force to bear on the falling rock, however he was not strong or focused enough and the rock continued to hurtle through the air without slowing. He watched, horrified as the rock landed on the woman's legs, trapping her.

Obi-Wan ran towards the trapped woman. The other two women tried to lift the heavy rock, but they were not strong enough. Obi-Wan drew on the Force, feeling it flood through his body, lending additional strength to his muscles. Slowly, he was able to lift the large rock bit by bit. As soon as he had lifted it enough to release the woman's legs, the other two women pulled her out and clear of the rock before Obi-Wan let the rock drop back to the ground, breathing hard with the exertion.

The two uninjured women picked up the injured woman and carried her together, carefully moving her away from the danger of the cliffs.

Obi-Wan felt the Force pull at him, calling him back towards the crevice where he could hear the cries of the people trapped below. The tremors had stopped now and a number of the tribesmen were gathered around the crevice, preparing ropes to rescue the trapped people.

Obi-Wan gathered the Force around him to guide him as he leapt into the crevice. The ground he landed on was unstable, but held his weight. He cast out with his senses, letting the Force guide him. He ran forwards, nearly losing his balance on more than one occasion as the ground crumbled beneath his feet.

Obi-Wan came across a man with a broken arm and helped him to his feet. The man was tall, as was typical for these people, and he towered over Obi-Wan.

Obi-Wan led the man close to the most stable looking side of the crevice and fired his cable launcher, using the Force to guide the end to a suitably strong attachment point. He attached the end of the cable to the Rya'li man and they ascended the wall together, Obi-Wan controlling the ascent and supporting the man, guiding his feet step by step up the wall.

At the top, a group of three men pulled the injured man to safety and Obi-Wan retrieved the end of his cable launcher and retracted it before leaping back into the crevice.

Over the next few hours, Obi-Wan rescued eleven more people in the same manner, continuing to push on without stopping, to make sure he did as much as he could to save the Rya'li people. He was tiring but he knew he couldn't stop so he gathered the Force around him and continued.

On his thirteenth time back down into the crevice, Obi-Wan came across the first man who hadn't survived the fall. He must have hit his head because he had a large gash on his temple and he was lying in a pool of blood.

Obi-Wan's heart sunk. He knew he was likely to come across this at some point, but being faced with the reality was quite different.

He gathered himself and picked up the limp body. He stumbled back to the sturdiest wall of the crevice and lowered the man back to the ground while he fired the cable launcher and prepared to ascend. He gathered up the man again and climbed the wall. The tribespeople were vocal in their grief, wailing loudly as they received the deceased, mourning his loss of life.

Obi-Wan ventured back into the crevice another three times to collect the other tribespeople who has not survived the earthquake, each time his heart sinking lower and lower as he, the Force and the Rya'li people all mourned the loss of life.

The day was quickly passing into night and one of tribespeople had informed him - in broken Basic - that all villagers had been accounted for except those who had entered the sacred caves.

Obi-Wan's stomach seized at the mention of the caves. He knew that he had been doing what Qui-Gon - and the Force - would expect of him, but he couldn't help but wish he was able to freely work to attempt to rescue his Master. But he knew the tribespeople would have to take priority. That didn't mean that he would have to be happy about it though.

Obi-Wan walked over to where a few temporary shelters had been strung up between the trees. The more severely injured people were located together and surrounded by their loved ones. There were three, including the woman who had her legs crushed by the rock. She wasn't doing well. Even if she did survive, there was no way she would ever walk again. If she was on Coruscant or somewhere with state of the art medical care, she might survive and live with the aid of assistive technology, but there was no nearby medical centre and the tribespeople had limited medical knowledge.

Obi-Wan approached the woman, kneeling carefully down by her side as her family shifted and made room for him. He placed his hands on her torso and channeled the Force into her, willing it to dull her pain. He knew it had been effective when she smiled weakly at him and placed her orange-skinned hand on top of his. She whispered something in her native tongue.

"She thank." Another woman translated for him.

"What is her name?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Ah'shi." The same woman replied.

Obi-Wan turned back to the injured woman. "You are welcome, Ah'shi." He said with a smile.

Obi-Wan went around to every injured person, Force healing, pain relieving, splinting, cleansing and bandaging each of the Rya'li men, women and children who required it until the sun had well and truely set and the moon had risen.

He did not stop until one of the older women came to him with a bowl of soup and a plate of grainy crackers. He tried to politely turn it down and keep on working but she fixed him with a determined look, pointed forcefully towards the ground and said "Sit! Eat!"

Suitably chastised, Obi-Wan smiled, bowed and accepted the food, finding that to his surprise, he was actually hungry and the food was tasty.

After he had eaten, Obi-Wan wandered towards the rockslide blocking the cave entrance. He felt so alone, so out of his depth. He wished that Qui-Gon was there with him, he wished that he could even just sense him, if only to know that he was ok. He thought that he would've felt something if he had not survived the earthquake, but he wasn't certain, given that there was an abundance of Force-dampening crystal currently between them.

He so badly wanted to start clearing away the entrance to the cave right now, but there was not enough light to see much, and he knew that it would be dangerous and he could potentially set off another rockslide. So he reluctantly turned and walked back to where the Rya'li people had set up camp and busied himself with checking on the injured tribespeople again.

-X-X-X-X-

The night passed slowly and Obi-Wan did not sleep. He tried to sleep, but sleep remained elusive. He spent the night alternating between assessing and treating the injured people and lying on the thin mattress he had been given, staring up at the stars and wondering how he was going to make it through on his own. He could feel a number of emotions swirling within him, but every time he tried to meditate and release them, he could not focus. He felt like a failure. He knew he needed to release his emotion to be able to be strong for the Rya'li people and serve the, as a Jedi should, but he just couldn't do it on his own.

The sky eventually started lightening and Obi-Wan was on his feet and heading towards the rockslide as soon as it was light enough to see. He stood before the pile of rocks, analysing the key points, deciding which order the rocks should be moved.

The Force nudged him, prompting him to turn around. He turned and was presented with an awe-inspiring sunrise, painting the sky with every shade of colour imaginable. He fell to his knees, tears pricking at his eyes, keenly feeling the missing presence of his Master. He knew that Qui-Gon would be most appreciative of this beautiful display of the Living Force. He closed his eyes, feeling the rays warm his face and the Force dance around him, finally able to sink into a light meditation.

When he opened his eyes again, the sun had risen above the horizon and in front of him were a small group of seven uninjured villagers. They had a variety of primitive tools, ropes and other implements.

"We help." One of the men stated. Obi-Wan recognised him as Mau'vai, the eldest son of the Ryo'li leader.

Obi-Wan nodded and bowed to show his appreciation. He pointed to a rock at the top of the pile. "This one first."

-X-X-X-X-

Obi-Wan and the group of men worked hard throughout the whole day, only stopping briefly for breaks when they were delivered water and some more of the grainy crackers. But it was slow work and many times, Obi-Wan had to try and halt further rockslides with the Force, desperate to avoid further loss of life. One of the men sustained a deep graze on his leg and had been taken back to the camp for it to be attended to, but thankfully there were no severe injuries and they had been productive enough to clear away about half of the rockslide.

The sun slipped below the horizon and Obi-Wan reluctantly turned away from the caves and walked towards the camp, his shoulders stooped and heavy with the burden that had been laid on them, every muscle in his body aching.

He stopped by the makeshift hut and checked on Ah'shi. She was still conscious, but she was struggling to breathe. She didn't have much time left. He gently wiped sweat from her forehead with a damp cloth then placed his hands on her torso, again applying a Force pain relieving technique and a light sleep suggestion. He wished he could do more, but he just did not have enough knowledge. While he knew basic techniques, the healing arts were never something he excelled in. Ah'shi smiled her small grateful smile again before her eyes fluttered shut as she drifted off to sleep.

Obi-Wan quickly checked on the rest of the injured and ate the small meal that was provided to him before retiring to his mattress.

This night, he was so exhausted that he quickly drifted off to sleep.

But it was not a peaceful sleep.

_Obi-Wan stood in the middle of an open grassy meadow. It seemed peaceful. He looked around and could see that he was surrounded by lush green grass dotted with small yellow flowers. He could hear the birds singing._

_Suddenly his eyes landed upon a familiar figure across the meadow._

_"Master!" Obi-Wan called._

_"Come over here, Padawan." Qui-Gon's familiar deep voice called back._

_Obi-Wan started wading through the long grass towards Qui-Gon. Suddenly, he felt a sense of urgency prompting him into a run._

_Thud!_

_A large boulder fell from the sky and landed right next to him._

_Obi-Wan looked up only to see the sky filled with falling rocks. He cast out with the Force and continued to run towards Qui-Gon, zig-zagging across the meadow to avoid the boulders._

_"Hurry, Obi-Wan." Qui-Gon urged._

_Obi-Wan ran faster, calling on the Force to lend more strength to his legs, to propel them forwards faster and faster as the rocks fell around him at an ever increasing pace._

_Then he saw a rock larger than the rest falling straight ahead of him. Right where Qui-Gon was standing._

_"Master!" He shouted. "Run!"_

_But Qui-Gon did not move._

_The rock kept on falling._

_Suddenly everything went black._

Obi-Wan awoke with a gasp, sitting bolt upright.

The dream disturbed him thoroughly, especially as he was so concerned about Qui-Gon's wellbeing at the moment. It didn't feel like a vision at least, although sometimes he found it hard to tell. Maybe his mind was just so dark that it conjured up awful things all of its own accord. He shuddered and felt a pang of loneliness. Qui-Gon was always so good at helping him to move past his disturbing nighttime dreams and visions.

Obi-Wan let out a long calming breath and sat in his preferred meditation posture. If he couldn't sleep, he could at least try to meditate and centre himself for the coming day.

-X-X-X-X-

Morning arrived again and Obi-Wan and the small crew of villagers returned to the rockslide.

They picked up where they had left off and worked hard all day, managing to clear the majority of the external rocks.

Suddenly the villagers stopped working.

"No more. Sacred." Mau'vai said. He motioned to the whole group. "Too young."

Obi-Wan felt despondent. He was so close, yet he had been taught from a young age to respect all different cultures and beliefs. He didn't agree and he wanted to fight it, to tell Mau'vai it didn't matter, that the preservation of life - the entirety of the Rya'li village leadership as well as his own Master - was more important than some inconsequential belief that age had some kind of impact on whether or not you can enter a cave. But he didn't.

The tribesmen turned and slowly made their way back to the camp. Obi-Wan belatedly noticed that they all felt the same despondency as he did. After all, there were five of their family in there too.

Obi-Wan suddenly knew what he needed to do. He didn't know if he was able to do it, but he had to try. He turned and knelt down in front of the cave opening and closed his eyes. He quickly sank into a light meditation, connecting with the Force, feeling it swirling around him, telling him that he was doing the right thing. He delved deeper into the Force, sinking further into its light, drawing from its strength.

Remaining in the meditation, Obi-Wan raised his hands towards the rocks. The Force gathered around him, heavy in the air. Obi-Wan pictured the wall of rocks in his mind, he saw the intricate details of how every rock fit together and where their weak points were. He knew what needed to be done.

Obi-Wan reached out with the Force, fully trusting in its guidance. He poured every drop gathered around him into his task. His eyes remained closed, but he didn't need to see. He knew that the events had been set in motion.

One by one, the rocks loosened themselves and floated away from the cave entrance, then more and more rocks joined them as they were able to come away from the rockslide. Each rock had to be moved separately and with precision. Soon, every rock that was blocking the entranceway was floating in mid air in the space between Obi-Wan and the cave entrance.

Suddenly, the rocks dropped to the ground.

Obi-Wan collapsed forwards.

Obi-Wan felt a hand on his back and turned to see the utterly shocked face of Mau'vai. It seemed like he wanted to say something but didn't have the words to express it.

Obi-Wan struggled to his feet and picked his way around the fallen rocks to the cave entrance, being careful to be respectful of the threshold he was not permitted to pass. He cast out with his senses to see if he could feel Qui-Gon's presence inside, but still nothing. The other end of their bond remained silent.

Dropping his head, Obi-Wan turned and made his way back to the camp with the other tribesmen. The day was drawing to a close as the sun lowered in the sky. He had done all he could. He did not know if the passage through the cave was clear or whether it was also blocked. He would just have to continue to have faith in the Force and faith in Qui-Gon. There was nothing more he could do.

When he got back to the camp, he did his usual check up on the injured. Many of the people were improving and although they may have some ongoing issues, particularly in cases where bones weren't healing straight, they should be able to get by without too many problems.

The one notable exception was Ah'shi. Her health was continuing to decline, her body shutting down due to the crush injury.

Obi-Wan crouched next to her, and listened to her rasping breathing as he dulled her pain as much as he could through the Force. He sensed the end was near and hoped that it would be as pain free as possible.

Her family were gathered around her just as they had been for the last two days. Obi-Wan looked into their sad eyes. They also knew that her time had come.

Obi-Wan stepped back to allow the family to gather closer and watched as Ah'shi continued her struggle to breathe. After a while her eyes closed, she was too exhausted to remain awake any longer. She continued to breathe as the sun set, but as the moon rose into the sky, she breathed her final breath.

Obi-Wan closed his eyes as he felt her life signature slip away. He felt the sadness in the Force. A tear slipped from his eye and trailed down his cheek. He hardly knew the woman yet he felt responsible for her. He felt so guilty that he had not been able to warn her faster. If only he had been less preoccupied with being so annoyed at being left behind, and was living more in the moment - as Qui-Gon always reminded him - then maybe things would have ended differently.

Obi-Wan slipped away from the grieving family, giving them privacy to mourn their lost loved one. He walked aimlessly but somehow found himself back at the cave entrance, standing in front of the multitude of rocks strewn across the ground. The black hole gaped open ahead of him and he resisted the urge to run into the darkness.

He returned to the camp and lay on his mattress, preparing for another sleepless night.

-X-X-X-X-

Morning came and again Obi-Wan was up before dawn although he did not get up from his mattress. He sat in a meditation position, but he wasn't meditating. He couldn't focus enough to even achieve a light meditation. He felt at such a loss of what to do. How long did he allow for Qui-Gon to return? How long before he contacted the Council? He hadn't done so yet because the tribespeople shunned technology, therefore they had left their transport in the main city, been given a ride in a speeder most of the way and then walked the rest. They had left their comlinks on their transport so he had no way of even arranging a ride back to the city and he would have to make the day-long trip on foot. But he wasn't willing to leave yet. And he felt like the Force was prompting him to stay.

The sun peeked over the horizon and Obi-Wan watched the sunrise again as the sky was painted in every shade imaginable of blue, purple, pink and yellow, the colours smoothly blending into each other, subtly shifting from night to day.

His bond with Qui-Gon flared to life again.

Obi-Wan was on his feet in a flash, squinting through the darkness towards the caves. He could barely make them out, but he could definitely see six figures emerging from the darkness of the caves.

"They're back!" Obi-Wan shouted to the tribespeople, rousing them from their sleep. "All of them are back!"

Everyone that was able to be on their feet were up in a flash, walking and running towards the caves.

Obi-Wan ran along with them, covering the ground quickly. He could see the tall broad frame of his Master and he put on an extra burst of speed to cover the last distance before stopping right in front of him.

"Master." He said, voice slightly cracking, before he gave up on all inhibition and lunged forward, wrapping his arms tightly around Qui-Gon in an embrace, burying his face in his Master's broad chest.

He felt Qui-Gon chuckle as he wrapped his arms around Obi-Wan and returned the embrace just as tightly.

Obi-Wan felt the weight on his shoulders lift. He could relax now that his Master had returned. He felt so relieved. The heaviness of the stress and emotion of the previous few days suddenly seemed to be a little lighter. He didn't even realise he was crying until he let out an unintentional sob.

"Easy, Padawan." Qui-Gon murmured in his deep voice. "You have done well."

Obi-Wan pulled away, quickly wiping a hand over his face before looking up at his Master, shaking his head.

"No, I haven't." Obi-Wan replied. He wanted to say more, to pour out everything he had struggled with over the last few days but the words caught in his throat.

Qui-Gon placed his hands on Obi-Wan's shoulders and leaned forwards slightly, bringing himself down to Obi-Wan's eye level. "I am so very proud of you, Obi-Wan. I believe that you would have done everything in your power to do what you thought was the right thing and to follow the will of the Force. Do not doubt yourself."

"I thought you were..." Obi-Wan trailed off, not wanting to even think the words.

"It was not my time." Qui-Gon replied, although he did not mention that there was more than one occasion where he had thought that it might have been. "But do not worry, young one, you are stuck with me for a lot longer yet."

Qui-Gon reached an arm over Obi-Wan's shoulder and they walked to the camp side by side, content in the fact that for now, nothing had changed.


	4. Flora

**Whatever the Weather**

This one is inspired by my husband's allergies. I have wished many times I could do what Qui-Gon did!

-X-X-X-X-

**Flora**

Obi-Wan trudged after Qui-Gon through the dense bush, sweat dripping off his forehead and trickling down his back. They were currently on a retreat on an uninhabited moon that was a designated nature preserve. The council had accepted Qui-Gon's request for some time off after a few long back to back missions which had left both Jedi feeling rather fatigued and in much need of a break. Obi-Wan had hoped to spend it at the Temple splitting his time between studying in the archives and sparring in the salles, however Qui-Gon had other ideas.

It wasn't that he didn't like nature, he just preferred to commune with nature on a different level to what Qui-Gon did. He would much prefer sitting on a beach or in a well maintained garden, rather than endless hiking with a heavy backpack through dense bush, ascending sheer cliff faces and wading through streams. All of which they had done multiple times over the course of the day. He didn't even bother asking Qui-Gon where they were going or how long it would take to get there because he knew that his Master was doing what he did best - determinedly following the call of the Living Force - and he would not stop until he felt that it was right.

Qui-Gon brushed by a long branch which swung back and smacked Obi-Wan in the face. Obi-Wan let out an unintentional grunt and wrenched his focus back to the present moment before Qui-Gon could give him his usual 'here and now' speech.

Suddenly, they burst through the thick brush into a clearing.

Obi-Wan caught a glimpse of a small satisfied smile on Qui-Gon's face and figured that they must have arrived at their destination. He took a look around. The clearing was not large but it was full of every size of plant - from the towering trees in the bush they had just walked through, right down to the moss that grew on the rocks alongside the stream across the other side of the clearing. There were clusters of flowers of every size and colour dotted around the place. But the most special thing about this place was how the Living Force swirled and danced on the soft breeze, touching every corner of the clearing, making everything seem brighter and more perfect. Obi-Wan could almost hear the Force sing in harmony with the birds chirping, the stream trickling and the leaves whispering in the wind. He could now understand why his Master had been led to this place, but it was still beyond him why they had to go through a whole day's worth of walking and climbing to get there. If he asked Qui-Gon, he was sure he would get some reply along the lines of the journey being just as important as the destination.

Qui-Gon walked towards the centre of the clearing and Obi-Wan followed in his wake as he always did. But as he followed along, he unintentionally brushed past a very tall purple flower, which responded by puffing a burst of yellow pollen directly into his face.

"Aaahhhtchoooo!" Obi-Wan sneezed immediately, sending a second cloud of pollen into the air and catching Qui-Gon's attention. The Jedi Master turned around and had to stifle a laugh at his pollen covered Padawan.

Obi-Wan brushed pollen from his tunic and tried to wipe it off his face but the pollen had stuck to the sweat that he had worked up from their long trek.

"I see you are becoming acquainted with the local flora. That one is very imaginatively called a Pufflower." Qui-Gon said, eyes still bright with humour. "Might I suggest rinsing off in the stream."

Obi-Wan responded with a sneeze and made his way over to the stream where he stripped off his outer tunics. He shook them out and washed up his face and hair as thoroughly as he could, sneezing twice more in the process.

After cleaning up, Obi-Wan returned to where Qui-Gon was waiting in the centre of the clearing, seated in his typical meditation position. He sat in front of his Master and together they quickly entered into meditation, the concentrated presence of the Living Force flowing around them making it much more smoother and easier than what they typically experienced on the city planet of Coruscant.

"Aaahhhhtchooo!" Obi-Wan sneezed, startling both himself and Qui-Gon out of the meditation. "Sorry, Master." He apologised.

"Not to worry, Padawan." Qui-Gon replied, returning easily to his meditation.

Obi-Wan tried to join him again but his nose was just so itchy. He resisted the urge to rub it, holding his breath instead so he wouldn't sneeze again. He closed his eyes and gathered the Force around him, sinking into a light meditation. The Force flowed around him and he could feel Qui-Gon's presence encouraging him further into meditation. He gradually felt himself sink deeper, the Force caressing him and relaxing him. He felt the familiar warmth come over him, cascading out from his centre throughout his body, leaving a vibrant tingling feeling as it flowed outwards, warming his whole body from his fingers to his toes...and his nose.

"Aaaahhhhtchoooo!"

Obi-Wan sighed as he was startled out of his meditation again. He looked up at Qui-Gon, whose eyes remained closed for a second longer. He knew the man well enough to know that he was composing himself and may have even been withholding a sigh of his own. His head and shoulders drooped.

"I'm really sorry, Master."

"Perhaps meditation can wait." Qui-Gon said. "It's getting late in the afternoon, we will set up camp here."

"I will do that, Master." Obi-Wan said, feeling a pang of guilt for interrupting Qui-Gon's meditation. "You should continue your meditation."

Qui-Gon agreed gratefully and resumed his meditation while Obi-Wan busied himself with quietly unpacking their small tent and setting it up, semi successfully suppressing no less than twelve sneezes in that time by burying his nose tightly into his tunic sleeve.

Obi-Wan finished the tent set up and Qui-Gon was still meditating. He sneezed again and headed towards the bush to search for firewood. The air temperature was quickly dropping as the sun lowered in the sky so it would be nice to have a fire to keep them warm overnight.

Obi-Wan walked through the bush collecting up a large armful of firewood. He was just about to head back to the tent when he felt yet another sneeze build up.

"Aaahhhtchooo!"

The jolt caused a few of the sticks to fall to the ground and Obi-Wan leaned over to pick them up, just at the same time as the Force issued a warning. He dropped the rest of the sticks and grasped his lightsaber, quickly ducking back down again as he was suddenly bombarded by a flock of flying creatures that he did not recognise. They did not look like birds as they were furry rather than feathery, but they had fearsome looking claws and large sharp teeth.

Obi-Wan ignited his lightsaber and held it up in his guard position as the flock flew around and regrouped for a second attack, screeching as they descended upon him. He swung his lightsaber as they attacked and two fell to the ground, but a third got through his guard and he received a deep scratch to his arm. He grunted in pain but quickly pushed past it and prepared for the next onslaught as the flock dived at him again. This time the group separated and also attacked him from behind, their long sharp claws tearing through his tunics and into his skin, causing his usual sharp saber swipe to become sloppy and he only managed to fell one of the creatures. It hit the ground with a thud.

The flock number was reducing, but Obi-Wan was injured and moving slower than he usually would. He swung his lightsaber back around into his guard position and prepared again as the flock swooped back around. But this time, he saw a flash of green beside him as Qui-Gon joined the fight. Bolstered by his Master's presence, and the wave of strength that Qui-Gon sent his way, he felt his pain reduce and his energy levels spike. Blue and green sabres swirled around in unison and the creatures thudded to the ground one by one until the threat was gone.

Obi-Wan replaced his saber on his belt and reached around to inspect the gash on his arm, wincing as the action also pulled at the injuries on his back.

"Let's go deal to those wounds." Qui-Gon said, gently steering his Padawan back towards camp.

Obi-Wan carefully lowered himself to sit on the ground while Qui-Gon retrieved the medic pack. He helped Obi-Wan to remove his tunics, the teen wincing as the fabric brushed against the fresh wounds.

"What were you doing?" Qui-Gon asked.

"I was just collecting some firewood." Obi-Wan replied. "And then I sneezed." He added in a low voice. The frustration was evident.

Qui-Gon gently cleansed and applied Bacta to Obi-Wan's wounds while the apprentice tried very hard not to move. He followed it up with a wave of Force healing and pain relief.

"Aaaahhhtchooo!" Obi-Wan suddenly sneezed, sending pain shooting through raw nerve endings. "Ouch." He groaned. "You don't happen to have any allergy meds in there, do you?"

"I am sorry, Padawan, I do not. Neither of us had any need for them." Qui-Gon said, feeling a little guilty.

"Until now." Obi-Wan grumbled, rubbing at his itchy nose and eyes.

"Don't rub." Qui-Gon said. "You'll make it worse."

Obi-Wan sighed and dropped his hand.

"Here, put these on." Qui-Gon said, carefully helping Obi-Wan into some fresh tunics. "I will go and collect the firewood."

Six painful sneezes later, Qui-Gon returned with the armful of firewood Obi-Wan had previously dropped. He lit a fire and busied himself with preparing a meal from the rations they had brought with them, turning down Obi-Wan's multiple offers of assistance.

They ate, cleaned up and watched the sunset together, punctuated with the occasional sneeze, before deciding to turn in for the night. They climbed into the small two-man tent and settled onto thin sleep rolls. Obi-Wan could hear Qui-Gon's breathing start to slow as he dropped off to sleep, but he could not get his body to relax. His nose was so frustratingly itchy. He rubbed it, trying to relieve the itch but it made no difference. He held his breath, but that didn't help either.

"Aaaahhhhtchoooo!"

Obi-Wan sighed and sat up, intending to leave the tent so that at least one of them could get some sleep.

"Wait, Padawan." Qui-Gon said, sitting up next to him, eyes glinting mischievously. "I have remembered a simple remedy to stop sneezing."

Obi-Wan's red-rimmed allergy eyes brightened, full of hope.

"Sleep." Qui-Gon said simply. "It is not physiologically possible to sneeze while sleeping." He explained.

Obi-Wan frowned, his hopes dashed. "I've been trying to sleep, but I can't because of my kriffing itchy nose!" He grumbled.

"Language, Padawan." Qui-Gon gently admonished. He placed his hand on Obi-Wan's forehead and called on the Force, sending a strong sleep suggestion to his apprentice.

"Ohhh..." Obi-Wan said, the word trailing off as he succumbed immediately to the sleep suggestion. Qui-Gon caught the boy as he collapsed and gently guided him down to his sleep mat. He then lay back down on his own mat, breathed out a long sigh of relief and closed his eyes.

Silence at last.


	5. Cold

**Whatever the Weather**

-X-X-X-X-

**Cold**

Obi-Wan was cold inside and out. Body and soul. Chilled to the bone in such a way that it felt like he would never feel warmth again. He sat on the cold ground, leaning against a cold rock wall, his legs curled tightly into his chest and his cloak wrapped around him as tightly as he could pull it. He had his hood pulled forwards so far that all that could be seen of him was a pair of pale lips which let out an occasional puff of misty air as he exhaled.

The whole planet was cold. It was far away from the system’s star and only a portion of it around the equator was suitable to be inhabited. He and Qui-Gon had been dispatched to help sort out a border dispute. The inhabitants were, despite the difficult living circumstances, thriving and multiplying. Therefore they were quickly running out of room and this had resulted in a number of skirmishes over land. Many of the clans had long accounts of their histories, going back many generations, and demanded they be allocated exactly what land had been owned by their ancestors, regardless of how many times it had changed hands since then - either civilly or during conflict.

Qui-Gon had done his absolute best to try and get all parties to agree on land division, listening attentively to the clan leaders and their passionate arguments for why they should be allocated particular pieces of land and drawing up what was a very fair division. But tensions ran high and the leaders refused to make any concessions and the negotiations had wound up in a stalemate.

Then came the news that the two eldest children, including the thirteen year old heir of one of the clan leaders had gone missing. Fingers - and blasters - pointed in every direction and it had taken every iota of Qui-Gon’s significant skill and experience in negotiation to avoid a shootout right there in the meeting room.

Lonak, the clan leader, had assembled a group of twenty of his most accomplished warriors to accompany the Jedi. Qui-Gon had tried his best to dissuade this decision, to emphasise that it would be best if he and Obi-Wan went on their own, but the leader had been adamant so they had no choice. They had discovered the trail easily. The kidnappers were brazen and had not made it difficult to follow.

They quickly fell into a deadly ambush.

A chill shot down Obi-Wan’s spine and his whole body shivered as he thought about what had happened earlier that day.

-X-X-X-X-

_ Blaster fire was coming in from all angles. _

_ Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan were doing their best to deflect it away towards the ground or to harmlessly dissipate in the atmosphere, but there were too many attackers and some of the blaster bolts slipped through their defence, wounding or killing the warriors at their backs who had not managed to find other cover among the rocky outcroppings._

_ “Cease fire!” An authoritative voice rang out. _

_ The attack suddenly stopped. Obi-Wan remained in a ready stance, lightsaber glowing a reassuring blue in front of him. He felt a mental nudge from Qui-Gon, who had retracted his own saber, the hilt remaining in his hand, just as ready for action, but more non-threatening. He followed his Master’s example, retracting his lightsaber and lowering his arm down by his side. _

_ Darred, the leader of the opposing clan stepped forward from behind a large rock with the missing children - Mirax and Xia - in front of him. He held a blaster in each hand, one aimed at each child. _

_“This course of action will not merit you a desirable outcome.” Qui-Gon warned. “Let the children return to their family and we can negotiate an agreeable solution.”_

_ “Enough talk!” Darred shouted, spitting out each word with venom. “Talking has got us nowhere. It’s time we resorted to the old ways. Let Lonak see how strong we are!” _

_ The Force shouted a warning a split second before the blaster fire rang out. In his peripheral vision, Obi-Wan saw the red energy packet shoot past his shoulder and hit Darred in the centre of his forehead. The clan leader fell in what seemed like slow motion. _

_ Qui-Gon responded faster than anyone else, igniting his lightsaber and shouting at Obi-Wan to protect the children a split second before the air was once again filled with blaster fire. _

_ Obi-Wan raced towards Mirax and Xia, calling on the Force to increase his speed. Terror was evident on each child’s face. _

_ “Come with me!” He urged the children, weaving his lightsaber in complicated patterns around the three of them, using the Force to predict each blaster bolt coming their way. _

_ Obi-Wan led Mirax and Xia to a nearby outcropping of rocks, pushing them behind the rocks for safety while he remained in front of it, continuing to deflect blaster fire. He could see Qui-Gon about twenty metres away, attempting to defend and cover Lonak’s warriors as he also steadily deflected blaster bolts. _

_ The situation seemed hopeless now. The two clans were locked in battle and he and Qui-Gon were stuck in the middle of it. They were supposed to be guardians of the peace, not accomplices to revenge battles. He was about to ask Qui-Gon over their bond what their next move should be when he heard a scream from behind him. He turned to see two warriors grasping Mirax by each arm, dragging him away and another one pointing a blaster at Xia. _

_ Obi-Wan leaped through the air, somersaulting over the boulders, deflecting a blaster bolt in midair before landing right in front of the children and the three kidnappers. _

_ “Let them go.” Obi-Wan warned in a low voice. _

_ There was no hesitation, no room for discussion, as the warriors holding Mirax drew their blasters on Obi-Wan and fired simultaneously. Obi-Wan had just enough time to bring his lightsaber up in front of him to deflect the two bolts, but not enough time to angle the saber to send the bolts harmlessly out of the way. The two blaster bolts deflected straight back where they came from, hitting each of the kidnappers directly in the chest. They both crumpled to the ground, pulling Mirax with them. _

_ Obi-Wan didn’t have time to contemplate what just happened, he whirled around to face Xia, just in time to see the flash of a blaster and the girl fall to the ground. He vaguely registered Mirax’s anguished cry in the back of his mind as the man raised the blaster at him and fired. Obi-Wan was able to deflect the bolt away and it ricocheted into the ground behind his attacker. _

_ The man pulled out another blaster and continued to fire relentlessly with both blasters as Obi-Wan frantically continued to deflect the bolts. He quickly decided that this was not a sustainable course of action and pushed closer and closer to the man, until he was able to slice both blasters in two with a quick swipe of his saber. If the man was surprised, he didn’t show it and instead tossed the disabled blasters to the ground and lunged at Obi-Wan, a vibroshiv suddenly appearing in his hand. _

_ Obi-Wan ducked and rolled away from the man, tucking his lightsaber back onto his belt as he did so. He sprung back to his feet and as the man lunged at him again. Obi-Wan grabbed the man’s wrist, trying to direct the vibroshiv away from him. But he was still young and although he called on the Force for strength, the man’s height and weight physically outmatched his own and he soon found himself landing flat on his back on the ground, his attacker on top of him. Obi-Wan pushed the man’s hand away from him with all his strength, but the vibroshiv still came closer and closer towards him. He tried everything he had learned in his combat classes to dislodge the man, but nothing was working. The man was heavy, strong and determined. _

_Left with no other option, Obi-Wan called his lightsaber to his hand and pressed the end against the man’s side. The man didn’t flinch, not initially realising that the blunt cylinder was a threat. Obi-Wan closed his eyes in regret and pressed the activation button. The blue saber shot through the man and he collapsed onto Obi-Wan._

_ Obi-Wan wriggled out from under the man, scrambled to his feet and went over to where Mirax was crying over his younger sister’s body. “We have to get out of here.” He said gently but firmly. “You run as fast as you can back towards your home. I’ll stick close and take care of the blaster fire.” _

_ Mirax nodded bravely and together they ran from the cover of the rocks, Obi-Wan continuing to deflect fire that came their way. Too distracted to send clear words, he instead managed to send a brief impression of his plan to Qui-Gon over their bond and the older Jedi peeled away from the battle as they passed and they all ran together. _

_ As they ran, Qui-Gon sent Obi-Wan a questioning look which clearly asked where Xia was. Obi-Wan just shook his head, not able to bring himself answer any further than that at that moment. Qui-Gon didn’t press him further. _

_ Soon they were out of range of the battle but they continued running, not wanting to slow their pace any more than they needed to for Mirax to keep up with them. _

_ As they came upon the defensive walls of the clan’s home, they heard shouts from the sentries and the large durasteel doors opened, granting them entry. Lonak and his lifemate Rata ran towards them, gathering Mirax up in their arms and embracing him tightly. _

_ Rata looked up at the Jedi with questioning eyes. “Where is my Xia?” She asked, desperation in her voice. _

_ Obi-Wan stepped forward and opened his mouth to speak, but no words would come out. He felt responsible for reporting the loss as he had been the one to witness it. He felt Qui-Gon’s hand squeeze his shoulder and a pulse of strength come through the bond. He let it wash over him and somehow managed to find his voice again. “I’m sorry, she did not make it.” He said, his voice wavering slightly, threatening to crack. _

_ Rata fell to her knees, buried her face in her hands and sobbed. Lonak advanced on the two Jedi, anger clear on his face. _

_ “This is your fault.” He shouted, jabbing an angry finger towards the Jedi. “You said you would bring my children back to me!” _

_ “I also said it would be best for us to go alone.” Qui-Gon reminded the clan leader. _

_ “It was not their fault.” Mirax interjected. “They weren’t planning on letting us go. I heard them talking while we were waiting. The Jedi saved my life.” _

_ Lonak visibly deflated, his anger dissipating. “Thank you for saving my son’s life.” He said in a low voice. “You may stay here tonight but from tomorrow we do not need any further Jedi assistance. We will deal with this in the way of our ancestors.” _

-X-X-X-X-

Obi-Wan ran a cold hand over his face and let out a long sigh, his warm breath condensing into a little cloud in the cold air. Not only did he kill for the first time, but he had also failed to protect a life. Qui-Gon had trusted him with keeping the children safe and he had failed.

He shivered again. The ice that represented his failure had settled deep down inside of him, chilling him from his core, telling him that he didn’t deserve to be warm again, that he was a failure as a Jedi.

Suddenly Obi-Wan felt movement next to him. He had been so caught up in his thoughts that he wasn’t paying attention to his surroundings. He pushed his hood back enough to see the tall figure of his Master folding himself down onto the ground next to him.

“I’d wondered where you had got to.” Qui-Gon said gently. “You’re shielding.”

“Sorry.” Obi-Wan mumbled, but he did not lower his shields.

“Padawan.” Qui-Gon said, equal measures of gentle admonishment and concern in his tone.

Obi-Wan sighed and lowered his shields slightly, enough to let Qui-Gon feel his presence again.

“Talk to me, Padawan.” Qui-Gon prompted. His voice was kind, but there was no room for argument in his words.

Obi-Wan closed his eyes, again seeing the four deaths playing out vividly in his mind. He sighed again. “I killed a man.” He said quietly. “Three, actually. Four if you count Xia.”

Qui-Gon’s heart sank at his Padawan’s words. Taking a life was an unfortunate reality for every Jedi, but the first time wasn’t usually at such a young age. And for it to be three at once at the same time as losing one under his protection would have been a big blow for his chronically self doubting Padawan. He watched as Obi-Wan’s trembling hands readjusted his cloak, attempting to ward off the cold.

“Obi-Wan.” Qui-Gon said gently, shifting closer to his Padawan to share some of his body heat. “Xia’s death is not your fault. You cannot control the actions of others. Sometimes we are presented with an impossible situation, and you must do as the Force leads. I do not believe that you would have ended a life if you had any other option.”

“But what if there was another option?” Obi-Wan questioned. “And I just wasn’t quick enough or strong enough or smart enough to see it. I failed our mission - we have been asked to leave, we have not been able to negotiate peace for the clans.”

“You cannot change the past, you can only learn from it. We are not Saints, but Seekers.” Qui-Gon said, quoting a Jedi proverb. “There is a lesson in every tragedy. Death is a part of life that we encounter far too often. Yes we grieve for a life lost, but know that the choices of others is not your burden to bear. There is a long history of conflict among the clans here and the journey towards peace is a long one. It may be that we are just one stepping stone on that path towards a future peace on this planet. It does not mean that we failed, it merely means that we were part of the journey.”

“I just...I just wish that it had happened differently. I didn’t want to take their lives.” Obi-Wan said helplessly. He knew he sounded like a youngling - no Jedi  _ wished _ for things - but he didn’t care at that moment.

“I am pleased to hear you say that.” Qui-Gon replied. “Only those that are in the light would say such a thing. I am proud of you, Obi-Wan.”

Obi-Wan took in Qui-Gon’s words and let the fact that his Master did not blame him for the lives lost that day wash over him and soothe some of the ache in his heart. If his Master saw no fault in his actions, perhaps the tragic loss of four of the lives on this cold planet could be considered a harsh lesson for him rather than a burden of blame.

He shivered again as a cold breeze swirled around him and he shuffled closer to his Master, attempting to borrow some body heat, and - not that he would fully admit it to himself - a small modicum of comfort. He was surprised when he felt his typically reserved Master’s arm lift and wrap firmly around his shoulders and a pulse of warmth and comfort trickle over their bond. Suddenly feeling exhausted, he sighed, closing his eyes and resting his head against his Master’s shoulder.

Slowly, the ice within him began melting.


End file.
